Re: Physical therapy motivation

hckynut · ‎03-10-2010

@Evie2004

I have been to so many physical therapy sessions there is no way to count the number. I do remember my 36×36 Cardiac Rehab Therapy Sessions, with my 2 heart attacks.

As an athlete I expected a lot of them. I actually did much more of my rehab at home. Maybe because I was eager to get back to my hockey/running and skating, i have always kept myself motivated, regardless of the type of injury.

Were they painful for me? Sure they were, but I quickly learned my limitations, and stayed within the parameters of knowing good pain from bad pain. That kept each session showing improvement. I learned very early in my athletic ventures, to never rush the process. It took me many setbacks from injuries to understand that many times "Less is More"? My problem was in keeping myself back from doing too much.

I am older than you, but a lot of my therapy sessions were at an older age than you. Everyone has to find their own motivation. Mine was and always will be my ease of mobility and keeping active. Having always been an optimist, I always look at the good parts of all my therapy sessions, not the bad.

Any joint problem or spinal problems that need therapy? I do not know even 1 of them that is not both physically and mentally painful. I have seen first hand what happened to many that did not follow the recommended therapy, and none of them did well.

Even when I got back to 100%, I never quit doing the preventive exercises necessary to keep my same flexibility and mobility. To me those are as important as the recovery therapy I had done to recover.

I can't motivate you, I can only tell a synopsis of my many PT sessions. Each person has to set their own personal goals and hopefully that leads to their motivation.

Good luck to you,

hckynut(john)

.

hckynut(john)

AnotherView2 · ‎06-19-2011

My SIL is unbalanced, in pain, and has a weak knee to this day because she dropped out of PT soon after her surgery and also didn't do any of the assigned "homework" daily exercises.

Your compliance is critical to become pain free and have a good result.

I also know two other people who dropped out and had bad results.

It's risky to drop ou t and not do the assigned home exercises.

Even if you think it's good enough now, it isn't. You also run the risk of it not healing properly to the point where it's worse or as bad as it was prior to surgery since it won't heal well.

Evie2004 · ‎09-09-2010

Having reread the comments, thanks to all who responded..I am in the process of being thankful that I have the availability of PT, I had a good session yesterday & am going to try my hardest the next few weeks. I think I was just disappointed in my progress so far, my therapist gave me lots of encouragement, so thanks for your comments & tales of your successes.

tansy · ‎01-02-2011

@Evie2004 wrote:
Having reread the comments, thanks to all who responded..I am in the process of being thankful that I have the availability of PT, I had a good session yesterday & am going to try my hardest the next few weeks. I think I was just disappointed in my progress so far, my therapist gave me lots of encouragement, so thanks for your comments & tales of your successes.

I was just going to suggest that you try another therapist to see if you can enjoy the sessions more. Do the exercises at home, maybe broken down into small bits, every day. The more bend, the better. I agree with SeaMaiden that it all feels worthwhile by week 8 and that your knee will keep improving for a good year. @Evie2004@

Evie2004 · ‎09-09-2010

Thank you Tansy, I am going to try my best these next few weeks..& hopefully will have some good news to report soon...

Zhills · ‎11-15-2011

I was in a really bad auto accident several years ago and was told that I would never walk without pain again.

I met a wonderful Physical Therapist who gave me my life back and I have been pain free and pain pill free for 10+ years now.

I swear by PT.

debcakes · ‎03-11-2010

@Evie2004, I feel certain you will begin to enjoy your therapy and see more progress. I, too, am 6 weeks out from a TKR. I only got 4 weeks of therapy and really liked it. It was more motivating for me to go to the therapy and have them telling me what to do. I actually would have liked to have a little more time to work on stairs. I did get to the 120 in 4 weeks, but still can't go down stairs any better than before the surgery.

Everyone requires different work outs and a different amount of time to recover. Have patience and be kind to yourself. Do what the therapists say and you will get there.

Evie2004 · ‎09-09-2010

Am posting this about about a month after my "dreading my PT", following knee replacement in April..well, I just finished PT, was not fun even though I had a great therapist..she continued to encourage me with every visit..

I did not make her goal of 120 degree flexion, but I am ok with that..I have 3 specific exercises that I try to do twice a day..& am working on increasing my walking time & distance. My husband reminds me that we weren't able to go on our vacation last summer, due to my knee..we are hoping to go somewhere in a few weeks, when our weather cools off some.

I feel I am 50% better than I was before, but, in all honesty, it has been tough & I wish someone (such as my Dr, a nurse, or the joint class I attended) had prepared us better, that it can take up to a year for deep tissue healing to occur. My scar is a non-issue for me. So, hopefully everyone that is considering this surgery, be patient, do your PT, & don't feel guilty for asking for pain meds, as long as you need them..good luck to everyone dealing with crappy knees (& hips) 😊

HappyDaze · ‎06-13-2012

gosh I just think about PT differently. It wasn't a chore for me at all because I dreaded the alternative- a lifetime of disability and inability to walk again. That scared me. I considered it a lifeline to live a more normal life again. I was happy to do it. It was hard work but I saved myself from potentially life-altering operations and a life-time of debilitating pain. I still do exercises they gave me. Please don't take it for granted- you are lucky that you have the option and to take part in your own health and recovery. Many people would love to have or have had that option.

ETA: I do want to add that I had to go through a few therapists before I found one that actually made a difference in my pain and mobility. If you feel you aren't getting stronger day by day and you aren't "meshing" well with your therapist, please try another. Once you find a therapist that actually understands your condition and helps you improve with every visit, even just a little, I think (hope?) your opinion on PT will be much different.

Classylady · ‎03-10-2010

I'm sorry you are in so much pain but you need the therapy. And I know that deep down you know it too.

I'm 4 weeks post op for major shoulder surgery and the pain is horrible. I was almost in tears yesterday when I left t herapy. I have several months left and I'm going to do them even if it makes me cry.

So please finish so you can walk without pain.

Good luck